The Summer of No Return
by sashar360
Summary: Skye, now fifteen, had settled into life. She has a new boyfriend, and she's happier than ever. But when Jeffrey makes a surprise visit, and Iantha and her father start to drift apart, and Jane gets awful writers block, will Skye's life be turned upside down? Rating has changed to T for a wee bit of violence.
1. Boyfriends and Surprise Entrances

Skye

So there I was, sitting on the front porch of our house on Gardam Street, immersed in happy thoughts. I was holding hands with my boyfriend, Danny, laughing as we talked about our annoying siblings, when a sleek black car pulled up to the curb. I frowned as I extricated my pale fingers from his dark ones. "Is that your brother's new car?"

"No." Danny's heavy, dark brows were wrinkled in confusion. His coffee skin made him look kind of regal. "Who is that?"

Suddenly, a familiar face appeared in the window. "Skye!" Jeffery burst out of the black car and careened up the path. I was completely caught off guard.

"Jeffrey!" I exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

When he quit hugging me, I could see his curly chestnut hair sticking up every which way. Freckles graced his cheekbones. "Didn't your dad tell you? I'm staying for the summer!"

"No way!" I beamed.

Suddenly, Danny, with an annoyed look on his face, demanded, "Who is this?"

I blushed. "Oh, sorry, Danny. This is Jeffrey. He's a friend of the family. Jeffrey, this is my boyfriend, Danny." All of a sudden I felt really, really self-conscious.

"Nice to meet you." Jeffrey, oblivious to the ambient awkwardness, held out his hand politely.

After a pause, Danny shook his hand. "The same for you." A blue car pulled up and honked the horn. "Oh, that's Johnny." He grabbed me and smashed his mouth against mine. "Call you later."

"Okay."

Danny walked down the sidewalk. Jeffrey raised an eyebrow. "Boyfriend?"

I glared at him. "Just because he's black doesn't mean-"

"I _meant_," He held out a hand. "That this is the first I've heard about a boyfriend."

"Sorry. We've been dating for about a week." I scowled a bit.

He raised his eyebrows. "I think he was trying to send me a message."

"Huh?" I asked as we walked inside.

"He was marking his territory." Rosalind stepped into the front hall to greet us. "Kind of like a dog peeing on a fire hydrant."

Jeffrey laughed. "Tell him that I'm not competition, would you, Skye?"

I rolled my eyes. "He's going to get an earful from me already."

And so began the traumatizing events of the Summer of No Return.


	2. Into the Woods

I apologize for the short chapter! Here's a longer one!

Jeffrey

A sudden punch in the shoulder interrupted my dreams about gingerbread and Skye and Jane arguing. I opened my eyes to see Skye, laughing with a piece of gingerbread in her hand. Sitting next to her was Jane, looking hurt, like a kicked puppy. That explains the dreams.

I sat up, excited to begin my first full day in Cameron. "Good morning, friends."

"Blurgh." Skye muttered, the laughter sliding off her face. "Your cheerfulness is not contagious. It's the opposite. It's…" Her forehead wrinkled as she searched for the right words.

"A magnet!" Jane exclaimed. "It draws all of the cheerfulness in the room to you! Or a parasite."

"More like a black hole." Skye punched her sister lightly.

"So, plans for today?" I asked, ready for anything. Or so I thought.

Skye visibly brightened. "Oh, right! We were going to go door to door, round up every kid we can, and have a killer game of Capture the Flag!"

I raised my eyebrows. "You overlooked one minor detail."

"What's that?" Skye huffed.

"Where are we going to play?" Jane asked.

"There's only one place to go." Skye turned to Jane, and they said the next part together. "Quigley Woods."

After fifteen minutes of gathering children willing to play, Skye and Jane led the motley band of children to the center of the woods. "All right, men!" Skye's voice carried over the excited chatter of the mixed dozen kids participating. "The Quigley Wall," She spat on a dilapidated brick wall at her left. "is the boundary. Team North and Team South will defend the north and south sides of the wall." Fake gasps of surprise emanated through the crowd.

Rosalind glared at them. "Okay, it's not funny."

Skye continued, unfazed. "Everyone brought water guns?" A dozen water guns rose into the air. "Good. If you get hit, you stay still for ten seconds. If someone places two hands on your shoulders, and they're on the opposing team defending their territory, you're captured. Flag has to be visible, and only two guards can be stationed, and they cannot be within ten feet of the flag."

A boy named Jacob (two doors down from the Penderwicks) raised a hand. "I'll be captain."

Skye nodded, with a scowl on her face. "I'll be the other captain. Bring the flag to your flag, and you win! Jacob, you pick first."

"Jane." He said.

Jane strutted to his side.

"Jeffrey." Skye pointed to me. I grinned. Some things never change.

"Rosalind." Jacob nodded to Rosy. I frowned. Why was he desperate to have Penderwicks on his team? Not that I wanted to be against them, but still. I had a bad feeling about this.

Turns out, I'd predicted disaster.


	3. The Mighty Stump or Let the Games Begin

**Skye: Why am I here again?**

**sashar360: One, because you're awesome and my total role model. Two, because I created you.  
**

**Skye: Don't believe a word she says! She doesn't own me, Jeanne Birdsall does! Now GET ME OUT OF HERE!  
**

**sashar360: Fine, she's right. But don't come and get her.  
**

Skye

As I led my team triumphantly through the woods (at least, I thought so,) Jeffrey pulled me aside. "Skye, why was Jacob so desperate to have Rosy and Jane on his team?"

"Hm? Oh, Jerky Jake?" I shrugged. "He always tries to get Penderwicks on his team."

Jeffrey's brow wrinkled. "Why?"

I rolled my eyes. "I failed Mind Reading 101, Jeffrey. Don't expect me to know this. I guess it's that old saying: 'Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.'"

He scowled, and his nose looked, dare I say it, cute wrinkled up. _What am I doing? _I snapped at myself_. I have a boyfriend!_ I immediately started reciting prime numbers to pulverize the – the what?

"Skye?"

"Hm?! Oh, sorry, just going over strategies." Liar, liar.

"I was just saying that I had a bad feeling about it." He looked thoughtful. "Maybe we should do something."

"Do what, wise guy?" I rolled my eyes again. "Come on, I have the perfect place."

We all crowded around the Mighty Stump. This was the name given to a legendary (gasp) stump of an ancient oak around five feet (two meters: I need to use metric) in diameter. No one knows why this tree only was chopped. Jane would make up something about Sabrina Starr needing magical oak to make a desk to save the Prince.

"Here's the plan!" I shouted, jumping onto the stump. "Tommy, Red, and Jennifer, go straight towards the center. Get a lot of people to follow you. You're the distraction. Subtlety will be unorthodox. Mary and Oliver, curve around the left flank. Stay away from the river. Jeffrey, you and I will go right flank. Danny, baby, you stand guard. You're the strongest and the best with a water gun, so you play sniper."

Danny mock saluted. "Sir yes sir!"

I rolled my eyes as I jumped off of the stump. "Okay, move out, troops!" I stuck the flagpole into a hole in the stump. We all broke into our respective groups.

As Jeffrey and I darted through the woods, he asked, "Skye?"

"Yeah?" I hissed.

"I'm no strategist, but…" He trailed off.

"But?" I demanded.

"But if I were Jacob, and I hated the Penderwicks so much, I would use this opportunity to play a prank on Rosalind and Jane." Jeffrey said.

I froze. Thoughts flashed around in my brain like arrows. I remembered Jacob's many pranks, such as filling my favorite hat with Jell-O, putting a confetti cannon in Jane's lunch, and covering Rosalind's socks with itching powder. "Oh, no." I whispered.

All of these had ended badly. I'm allergic to red Jell-O, the confetti cannon had given Jane a concussion, and Rosalind's feet had swollen like balloons for a week. Jeffrey turned so pale that every freckle on his face leaped out at me and smacked me for neglecting this important turn of events. "We need to warn them! Now!"

Jeffrey and I sprinted through the woods, desperate to save my sisters from either embarrassment or bodily harm, or most likely both.

**Ooh, so Rosy and Jane are in danger! Will Skye and Jeffrey prevail? Or will they be too late to stop the embarrassment that Rosy and Jane are sure to suffer? Find out in...CHAPTER FOUR!**

**BTW, the review button, down there? That will make all your problems go away!  
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**Skye: No it won't.  
**

**sashar360: Shh! It could still work!  
**


	4. The JuiceBath At The Magic Rock

**I'm sorry about that chapter mix-up, I accidentally uploaded the wrong one. I hope you still love me! That's for my HoO fanfic, "What's Next?" Feel free to R&R it! *****wink wink nudge nudge*******

**To Nicole: I've got plans for Skye and Danny, just wait and see. Or read…whatever.**

**Jane: Ooh, this gives me an idea for Sabrina Starr!**

**Sashar360: Just do the disclaimer, Jane.**

**Jane: ****Sashar360 doesn't own us, Jean Birdsall, the scribe of our wonderful world does. **

Jeffrey

As Skye and I stalked through the bushes, I noticed a determined look in her expression. Her usual scowl and this face were completely different. Scowl-y Skye (don't tell her I said that) was impulsive and entirely reflex. Determined Skye was a tigress mixed with…I don't know, Eisenhower.

Skye had a plan.

We crawled to the edge of a familiar clearing. The last time I had been here, Jane had taken me to this clearing to purify my stepdad. A pile of boulders stood in the center. One such boulder was more majestic than the others. A neon purple T-shirt tied to a pole was stuck in a crack in the massive rock.

I hissed to Skye, "Jane's magic boulder? How did Jacob know about this place?"

Skye rolled her eyes. "It's one of the most well-known places in the forest, and she thought no one knew about it. Jake probably chose it to break Jane." Then she raised her eyebrows. "You know about it?"

I nodded. We stopped talking abruptly, as Rosalind and Jane circled the boulder, keeping ten feet away from it at all times. Rosalind, though sixteen, looked engrossed in the game. Jane's eyes were red from tears.

Acid started burning a hole in my gut. "Skye, look." I pointed to a girl crouched in the bushes almost on the opposite sides of the clearing. She was low to the ground, looking warlike in a pink tutu-like skirt and hot pink shirt. "What's her name again?"

"Sissy. She's Jake's sister." Skye peered at the girl. "She's on their team, but there are only two guards allowed. She shouldn't be here."

My eyes widened as she poured a small bottle of _something _into her water gun. "That's not water." I decided. Skye's face turned ghost pale. "Skye?"

"They're in the bushes."

I gazed into the underbrush and saw what she meant. All of Jake's team was crouched in various hiding places, undoubtedly waiting for Rosy and Jane to get soaked with _something._

I ran into the clearing and shouted, "Rosy, Jane, _run!_ It's a trap!_"_

Rosalind and Jane were so startled that they dropped their guns. "What? What's happening?"

That's when every member of Jake's team lunged out of the bushes and started spraying grape juice at the three of us.

**Ooh, looks like Jake had a plan, and Jeffrey got caught in the crossfire! What will happen to them now? Review and maybe I'll tell you!**

**Jk, I'll tell you even if you don't, but reviewing will make me write faster!.**


	5. Witty Banter and Drama

Jane

When the first gush of grape juice hit my new white T-shirt, with the smiles my team's faces leering at me, all hopes of my Sabrina Starr story withered and died.

You see, I was going to write an epic tale of Sabrina Starr participating in a Capture the Flag game, and triumphantly carry the flag back to the magic rock.

And, of course, Jake just _had_ to spray us with grape juice.

But all hope was not lost, because I made a challenge for myself. Yes, when the four of us trudged through the door, I had an epiphany. No more was Sabrina Starr to be serious and down-to-business. No more was she to focus on the job only.

That's right, it was time to make Sabrina Starr _funny._

Batty ran into the hall, her eyes bright and excited, ready to hear all about our fun capture the flag game. She stopped in her tracks, probably because we were dripping grape juice. "Why are you drenched in…is that grape juice?"

Skye was wringing her hat of juice with an expression that would look just right on a bulldog. "That slime bag Jake got everyone on his team to fill their water guns with grape juice and drench us. And Jane and Rosy were _on his team_!"

"And Skye and I got caught in the crossfire." Jeffrey added.

"The game was called off." Rosalind finished (for the most part) wringing her hair of juice.

"But every cloud has silver lining, because I have an idea!" I bounced up and down on my heels. "I'm going to make my stories filled with jokes, laughs, and witty banter!"

Jeffrey cracked a smile. "Witty banter, huh?"

"Yes, Sabrina Starr will be a wit, a jester!" I smiled.

Batty was now staring at us like we had grown wings. "Um…so does that mean it was a _good_ thing that I didn't go?"

"Probably, goofball." Jeffrey tousled Batty's hair.

_Ding dong!_ The doorbell chimed, and Jeffrey peeked through the spyhole. When he turned around, he looked perplexed.

"It's Danny, Skye. And he doesn't look happy."

Skye frowned and stepped out the door to see her boyfriend. I would have normally been concerned, but my imagination was…well, suffering. I had the witty jokes flitting around in my mind, but I had no setting, no situation for Sabrina Starr to use them in. I sat down in my favorite maroon armchair in the den and scratched my head for ten minutes, trying to decide what perils to throw Sabrina into.

The slam of the front door interrupted my pondering. I looked up from my sadly blank notebook page. Skye stormed into the den, her face purple with rage. I sat up. "Skye, what's wrong?" I had never seen my sister this enraged before, but I couldn't have imagined what she said next.

She took a deep breath, turned to me, and growled, "Danny broke up with me."


	6. Alia Piscium Maris

**Thank you to all who have reviewed, favorited, followed, etc. etc. You make me want to do a happy dance! *does happy dance***

**Batty: Do you own us, sashar360?  
**

**Me: No, *sad face* I don't. *sniffles*  
**

**Batty: Don't cry, sashar360. It'll be okay.  
**

Skye

_Flashback_

_I opened the door and smiled at Danny. "Hey, Danny."_

_His arms were crossed, guarded. "How's Jeffrey?" He snapped, anger dripping from his voice._

_I scowled. _Is he serious?_ "We've been over this. Jeffrey's a friend. End of story."_

"_Yeah," He scoffed. "You two_ friends_ go off alone while you leave me to stand guard."_

"_It was a logical choice. Jeffrey's faster, you have a better aim. You could hit a freckle on Jeffrey's nose from twenty feet with a pebble, and Jeffrey could get out of the way before you could even twitch."_

_Danny sneered. "Well, how diplomatic of you. You could have stood guard with me."_

"_Yeah, and Rosalind and Jane would have been humiliated even worse than they are right now."_

"_That's how you justify yourself?" He crossed his arms._

_I felt my face soften. "Jeffrey's always been a good friend to the family. All of us like him. He's nothing but a friend."_

"_Well, why don't you just date him, because we're done." He whirled around and stormed off._

Jane's eyes practically bulged out of their sockets. "I'm so sorry, Skye."

I scoffed. "Ah, skip it." I stomped off to my room and slammed the door, because I had a job to do.

I stormed over to my bulletin board and took off three pictures. One was Danny's yearbook picture. Another was a picture of the two of us sitting on a park bench, laughing. The final one was of us kissing.

When it was first taken, I thought that one was romantic. Now I realized it was totally disgusting.

I muttered some very unflattering words about Danny and stomped into the kitchen. Daddy was standing over the counter, putting leftovers from dinner into Lock and Locks. He did a double take. "Skye? Why are you dripping grape juice?"

I looked down at my shirt to find it still covered in juice. I rolled my eyes and related the Sparknotes version of the Grape Juice incident. "I guess I shouldn't have kicked Jake in his soft spot when he tied my shoelaces together."

Daddy's eyebrows crept over the rims of his glasses. "So, they sprayed you with grape juice?"

"Yep." I snorted so hard that I swear my sinuses buzzed.

"Does that explain why you broke up with Danny?"

My expression probably betrayed my shock and the question in my mind. "You have a fistful of torn photos, the _grex elephantus_ sounds you were making almost ruined my soufflé, and I haven't seen anyone that angry since you came home after eavesdropping on Mrs. Tifton."

"He broke up with me," I mumbled.

"Ah." Understanding and a hint of sadness flashed in his eyes. "Just remember, Skye. _Alia __piscium __maris_. Speaking of fish, could you hold a Lock and Lock box up so I can put dinner into it?"

Reminded of Jane, I nodded and picked up a plastic box. "Do you have any matches?"

He looked puzzled for a second, and then he understood. "Where are you going to burn them?"

"I was hoping to set Danny on fire, but if you only want me to burn the pictures, I can do it over the concrete path."

"That'll be fine." He reached into a cupboard and brought out a box of matches. "_Vide __apud te __exultet __ne quid __insanire_."

"Gotcha." I kissed Daddy on the cheek and raced outside to cleanse my soul of the taint that was Danny.

**So, we've got some jealousy, some Latin, now all we need is a little bit of romance! You might get it if you review! (BTW, to the people who have accounts, please review so I can thank you properly. Flames embraced!)**


	7. Jokes and a Kiss

***ducks* Please don't kill me! I'm sorry!**

**I apologize for the short chapter. I swear by the Penderwick Family Honor that the next one will be nice and long.  
**

**Disclaimer:  
**

**Aliens: Do you know who owns the Penderwicks?  
**

**Me: Um...I happen to like the author, so I will not reveal her name. However, I don't.  
**

**Aliens: Thank you, Earthling. Here is a cookie for your sort-of cooperation.  
**

**Me: Yay! :D  
**

Skye

I stormed onto the porch, ready to burn the pictures and smacked straight into Jeffrey. "Whoa, whoa!" Jeffrey laughed; unaware of what had happened to upset me on this very porch. "Who ticked you off?"

I sat down on the porch swing, burying my forehead in my hands. "Danny."

Jeffrey sat down next to me. "You mean you two are in a fight?"

I sighed and muttered, "He broke up with me, because…" I glanced in his direction, aware of the weight of what I would say next. "he thought I was cheating on him with you."

This is one of the many things I am glad for: Jeffrey didn't say any of those stupid things like "Oh, it'll be okay," or, "He isn't worth it." He just grimaced and nodded.

This is one of the many things I hate Jeffrey for: He peeled my hands from my face and peered into my eyes. "Are you _crying_?"

"What?! No!" He gave me a '_yeah, right' _kind of look. "Okay, a little. Only because of frustration."

Jeffrey slid an arm around my shoulder. I tensed, then relaxed a bit. He suddenly smiled a bit. "What do you call a laptop on wheels under the ocean?"

"Shoot." I rolled my eyes.

"A Dell Rolling in the Deep." Jeffrey grinned, and I groaned. "I heard that one from Jane."

"Is she practicing her 'witty banter?'"

"Yep." Jeffrey's eyes flitted to my fist, still filled with the photo pieces. "Is that a match?"

"I was going to burn the pictures."

He rolled his eyes. "'What could possibly happen in a half hour?'"

We immediately burst out laughing, and it took a long time for us to stop. When we did, I realized that Jeffrey was _right there,_ like, if I were sitting any closer I'd be in his lap. I could tell that Jeffrey just noticed, because his face was starting to turn redder than Ben's hair. I could tell that I was blushing, too.

I coughed. "I should…um…" _Oh, brilliant, Skye, _I thought. _You'd win a Nobel for that one. Let's try for a complete thought, hmm?_

That's when Jeffrey did something that would completely change the rest of my life.

The idiot kissed me.

For a second, I thought, _What is he…? _Then a warm sensation spread through my mind, kind of like what would happen if my brain melted a little.

I kind of liked it.

That's when reality metaphorically smacked me in the face. _Oh, my gosh, I'm kissing Jeffrey!_ A gasp came from my throat, and I scooted away from Jeffrey. "I, uh…I…Argh, never mind!" I stood up and stomped back into the house, mind sluggish and buzzing at the same time as I tried to figure out what the heck had just happened.

**I promised you romance, here is the seed of it! You see that button down there? Click it, and you will be invincible!**


	8. Put it on the Back Burner

Rosalind

I first noticed _it_ an hour after dinner. I found Iantha sitting alone in the den, reading. "Where's Daddy?" I asked. Usually, Daddy would be here, spouting Latin.

"Hm? Oh, Martin? He's upstairs, grading," Her mouth tightened into a thin line, as if she was upset. Iantha would never be upset while thinking about Daddy.

I raised an eyebrow. "Iantha, are you okay? You look…well, you look like Skye did when we were walking home today. Is something wrong?"

She sighed. "It's nothing, Rosy. Martin's grading is getting a little, shall we say, irregular."

"How so?" I asked.

"He doesn't teach in summer." She said this like she'd say, "I found a bloody knife under the bed."

"What does that have to do with…" The implications of what she said dawned on me. "Daddy is avoiding you?"

She nodded, her mouth tightening again. "I'm not in the mood to talk right now. Could I get a bit of time to myself?"

"Sure." I walked out of my room, my head spinning like a top. I ran to gather the troops when I crashed headfirst into Skye.

"Rosy!" She snapped. "Walk much?!" She tried to storm around me, but I grabbed her arm, not because I was concerned about her panic, but because I needed an anchor.

That's when Jeffrey shuffled into the room, face burning. He slumped up the stairs to the guest room. I immediately put the pieces together. "Is something…going on between you two? What about…" That's when I remembered the hubbub earlier this afternoon with Danny.

She pressed the heels of her hands into her eyes, then she looked up and hissed, "He kissed me!"

My eyes widened. "He…what?"

"You heard me!" She snapped. "I was upset because of the whole thing with Danny, so I was going to burn the photos of him I had on the sidewalk, and he was on the porch. He stopped me, and we were sitting on the porch swing, talking, and somehow he ended up kissing me.

"And what troubles me…" She glanced around. "What troubles me is what happened…inside, I guess. My head kind of filled with…warmth. Like if your brain melted."

"So why are you upset? Jeffrey's a great guy."

'Great guy' was an understatement. He was the nicest boy on the face of the planet.

"Well, it's a bit like kissing your brother, you know?" She blushed a bit.

"Except for the warmth."

"Except for the warmth," Skye agreed. "And Jeffrey lives hours away! We'd never see each other. And there's this other thing. I kind of…pushed him away, I guess. I realized that I was _kissing Jeffrey, _and I kind of panicked. So now I might have broken his heart, and I am _not _walking on tip-toe around him."

I crossed my arms, channeling in my experience with boys. "Did you like the kiss?"

She thought a minute. "I guess."

"Yes or no," I said. _'I guess' is not okay with things like this, _I thought.

Skye rolled her blue eyes. "Yes."

"Okay. Do you like _him?" _I asked.

"We all like him!" She snapped. Her fists bunched up at her sides, like she was ready for a fight. _With who?_ I thought. _Me?_

"You know what I mean!"

"I don't know, my thoughts are all jumbled up, like someone stuck a blender in my emotions and set it on liquefy."

I sighed. "Skye, you need to figure it out. If you like him, go for it. If not, talk to him. Lay it all out. He'll understand. Make it clear that you won't walk on tip-toe with him."

That's when I remembered my biggest problem. "Skye, I just remembered. You and Jeffrey, I'm sorry to say this, are going to have to put this on the back burner. We'll cross that bridge when we get there. Right now, we have a bigger problem."

I quickly relayed what Iantha and I had discussed. "Why would Daddy try to avoid Iantha?" Then Skye paled. "We brought them together, with the Save Daddy plan. Were we…"

"Based on what we knew at the time, no, we weren't wrong." I put a hand on her shoulder. "But right now, with all of this romance mess, there's only one person on the planet who can fix this."

She met my eyes. "Who?"

I gulped. "Jane."


	9. Comfort Music and MOPS

**Hello, my friends! Thanks for the reviews!**

**Disclaimer: If I were Jeanne Birdsall, I would be working on the fourth book.  
**

Jeffrey

I flopped down on my bed in frustration, trying to figure out why I was such an idiot. When we were on the porch, I kind of acted on a whim, but I felt like I was _supposed _to. When she stormed off, it was like getting hit by a bus.

My hand crept up to my messy pile of curls and tugged at it like taffy. "Idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot!" I felt like punching myself in the face.

My dad's words of wisdom came back to me. _When you're feeling angry at the world, give the world a concert._

I stumbled over to my clarinet case, ready for solace. I opened the case, pieced the instrument together, and began to play.

I dived into a world where Skye, Jake, and everything else didn't exist. The only things that existed were my clarinet, the rich, heartbreaking notes, and my fingers fluttering over the keys. The song ate up the darkness in my spirit, leaving a fresh glow behind. Music is what I was born for.

The rap-rap-rap of someone knocking on the door made the last notes of the song die. That would be Skye.

A scathing response burned on my lips. "I'm not in the mood to be rejected twice, Skye," I picked up a pillow and threw it at the door.

Jane poked her curly head around the doorframe. "We're having an emergency MOPS."

"Do I look like a Penderwick?" I snapped.

Her brown eyes filled with tears. "Jeffrey, you're an Honorary Penderwick. You always have been. But I heard about you and Skye…"

The right thing to do would be to act gracious. The wrong thing to do would be to say something scathing.

I'm not proud of what I said, okay?

"Oh, so first she treats me to rejection, then she plays a good ol' game of kiss-and-tell, huh?"

Jane bit her lip. "I know that you feel like Skye betrayed you, but the Penderwicks have an emergency on their hands. Whatever you're feeling right now, _please_ put it behind you. We need you."

The anger smoldering in my bones died. I nodded slowly.

Jane grinned, grabbed my arm, and pulled me down the hall. Standing outside Rosalind's room, Jane stopped. "Jeffrey, I need your word that you won't bring up the kiss when you come in. She's agreed not to, unless you mention it first."

I studied Jane's scared face. At fourteen years old, Jane was starting to be quite the beauty. But I can honestly say that I have never been attracted to her. She's more like a little sister.

A huff of exasperation escaped my mouth. "I swear, Penderwick Family Honor."

She beamed and opened the door. I glanced around the room, searching for a certain pair of blue eyes. Skye's gaze locked onto mine, full of fear and sadness.

That's right about the time I realized how much I liked her.

Seeing Skye so afraid, so _opposite_ to the person she really was, brought a surge of memories of the sneaky, sarcastic, fearless girl I knew. She had risked so much for my sorry carcass, forcing me to be myself, bravely facing down my mother, keeping that unshakable bravado, chasing after me on that dark sorrowful day on the beach almost three years ago.

I swallowed this upwelling of feelings and sat down on Jane's desk chair. Rosalind, after starting the meeting, said, "Iantha and Daddy are drifting apart."

My eyes widened. "Do we know why?"

Skye glared at me. "Oh, _that's _what we should be doing, not playing hide and seek!"

Rosalind gave her sister a look. "Skye, Jeffrey is a guest. No need for sarcasm."

She scoffed. "Me?! Use sarcasm?! Surely not!"

The obviously more mature Rosalind rolled her eyes. "Whatever." She turned to me. "Jeffrey, we don't know. Someone has to find out why."

"You mean, spy? But surely we're above that!" Jane crossed her arms.

Skye laughed, making my stomach twist with longing. "Didn't you write some kind of spy romance for Sabrina Starr?"

"Touche," She grumbled. "Fine, I volunteer. _Sabrina was ready for anything._ What do I need to find out?"

I thought for a second. "Is she, um, with child?"

Everyone looked at me incredulously. "What?!" Skye sounded appalled.

I held up my hands. "Hey, I've been surrounded by pregnant women. My musical history teacher, Daniel's mom, my mom…"

Jane cringed. "Don't tell me that Dexter's in the gene pool?"

Everyone shuddered. _That's just what I need, _I thought. _Two Dexters._ "But anyway, I know a few of the signs. Getting a bit…rounder, puking in the morning, and a certain expression."

Batty looked fascinated. "What kind of expression?"

I grimaced. "An I'm – going - to – kill – you, bring – you – back – to – life, and – kill – you – again expression."

"Have you seen Iantha with an expression like that?"

After a pause, I said, "No, but she's getting the shape."

"Okay, I'll try to find out if she's pregnant. Anything else?" Jane rubbed her hands together in glee.

"Find out what Daddy's doing in the study."

"On it!" Jane rushed out of the room before we could say anything else.

Rosalind shrugged. "Meeting adjourned."

As we all filed out, Skye tapped on my shoulder. "Jeffrey? Meet me on the porch at six in the morning tomorrow. I want to talk."

**Just so you know, I will not be talking about Skye's and Jeffrey's talk on the porch in the next chapter.**

**Audience: Awwwwwww!  
**

**Me: Come on, there's more to this story than Skye and Jeffrey! By the way, reviiiiiieeeewwww!  
**


	10. Family, Love, and Grief

**I do not own the Penderwicks. I wish I did, though.**

Jane

I darted down the hall, ready to boldly find out why this separation was happening. I stopped outside Daddy's study and put my ear to the door. "…Mrs. Aaronson, I'm sorry. Iantha said that she doesn't want to talk about it. I didn't know, and… please don't hang up…" Then he started muttering some unhappy words to himself.

I winced at the slam of the phone. "I tried, I really tried…" He moaned.

Before I could stop myself, I knocked on the door. "Come in," my father called warily.

I poked my head inside the very messy study. "Daddy, I have a question."

"What's that?" My father smiled.

I steeled myself and pushed the words out. "Is Iantha pregnant?"

The smile dropped from his lips. After a long pause, he said, "Not any more. There was a miscarriage."

My jaw dropped. "Why didn't we know?" I pulled up the chair in front of his desk.

He sighed. "It was the week Iantha and I went to the hospital to visit your great aunt Macy."

I winced. Great Aunt Macy had breast cancer, and Iantha and Daddy had gone to see her off three weeks ago before she died. "Daddy…" I touched the sleeve of his sweater.

He smiled sadly. "You've noticed Iantha and I haven't been spending much time together? Well, I just feel like I've failed two people." His eyes flitted to a picture of Rosalind, Skye, Mommy holding baby Batty in her arms, and me. Her last photo.

_Three,_ I thought, imagining the half-sibling I had lost. "You didn't fail Mom, and you haven't failed Iantha."

"Yes, I have, and you know it." He looked at me pointedly. "Don't try to tell me different, you little scribe." I grinned a bit at my childhood nickname. "Now go and tell the others. I'm feeling like a coward today." He winced. "You understand, don't you?"

I stared at my father's pleading face. For some reason, Alec flashed into my mind. The fear, the pain, the touch of self-loathing…they were both two men who had failed a child.

I nodded firmly. "Of course." I turned and stepped quietly to the door. I stopped and turned on one heel. "What was the baby going to be?"

He glanced up at me. "A boy." He muttered.

I couldn't take any more sadness at that moment, so I stumbled out of the room.

I didn't want to make Sabrina Starr funny anymore.

After I had gathered my wayward siblings and Jeffrey, there wasn't a dry eye in the room. Rosalind was quietly sobbing, holding on to Batty tightly. Even Skye and Jeffrey got a little teary.

Jeffrey wiped his eyes. "I can't help but think of the whole mess up at Point Mouette with me and Dad."

Surprisingly, it was four-year-old Ben who said, "But what about Mommy and Daddy?"

This brought everyone back on track. Skye jumped up and said, "You're right, Ben. We need to forget about the baby and focus on getting Iantha and Daddy back together."

"We must reignite the passion that brought them together, shoot them once more with Cupid's arrow!" I smiled.

"And I have an idea," Jeffrey crowed. Everyone turned to him. "Is there a restaurant here in town that's kind of a social area for kids our age?"

**Ooh, so Jeffrey has plans! I do too, and you'll find them out a lot faster if you review! To those with accounts who read this who haven't posted, could you please review, so I can thank you properly?**


	11. Joking Around and Swallowing Pride

Skye

At around five thirty, I sat on the front steps and waited for Jeffrey to come out. I reflected on what my feelings were. If I decided I liked him, I would tell him so when he came out. If I didn't, that's what I'd tell him. If I was undecided by five fifty-nine, I'd hide and leave Jeffrey a note.

I reflected back to something Jane had written in one of her Sabrina Starr books.

_Love is a union where the heart, mind, and body of two people fit in equal measure._

After fifteen minutes of hating Sabrina Starr for being so _cryptic_, the screen door opened. My head whipped around to see Jeffrey, leaning against the doorframe, looking nervous out of his mind. "So, you wanted to talk?"

I sighed and leaned my head against the column I had been sitting next to. "I was hoping for some extra time."

He sat down beside me. "Look, I've given it some thought, and I realized that I might have surprised you with the whole kiss thing. I'm sorry. I shouldn't kiss people without asking."

I glanced over at him. "Did you, um, like the kiss?"

He smiled. "On a scale of one to ten? About a zillion."

"Zillion's not a number, genius." I rolled my eyes, using sarcasm to give me a second to get my thoughts in order. "I'm not sure how I felt about it. After the whole mess with Danny, I've been…" I searched for the right word.

"Not exactly in rare form." Jeffrey laughed.

I rolled my eyes. "You're making me sound like steak."

"Well, you are the veal deal." A cheesy grin spread across his face.

I was so messed up with emotion that it took me a second to catch the joke. "You're a ham." I scoffed.

Jeffrey doubled over laughing. I smiled as he sat up with effort. "So, you don't have beef with me anymore?"

He was still smirking when I said, "No, I guess not, Porky. Come on, let's go get some breakfast."

I stared at the phone in my hand, the number I had memorized over the past week blinking. I sighed and glared at Rosalind. "Do I have to?

"No, but it will help Iantha and Daddy. "

I sighed and hit SEND. After three rings, someone picked up. "Hello?"

"Danny, please don't hang up. Just give me thirty seconds of your time." I said.

"I'm not taking you back." He growled.

I rolled my eyes. "Sure. Perfect. I don't care, but I need a favor."

He gave a bitter laugh. "Why should I help you?"

This was the golden question. I winced and met Rosalind's eyes. Rosalind mouthed, _Paint balloon. _I grinned at the memory. "I caught Jacob's paint balloon for you. Aren't you allergic to paint?"

Danny winced. "Okay, what's the favor?"

I smirked and said, "Can you be at Antonio's Pizza at five thirty? I want you to start an argument with me there."

Danny sighed. "I suppose telling me why would ruin whatever you're doing at Antonio's."

"No, I can tell you. It's to give me a reason to leave the table." I explained the problem.

When Danny spoke, there was pain in his voice. "There's something I haven't told you. My parents are getting a divorce. They told me yesterday afternoon, just before I came over."

I winced at the hated word. "I'm so sorry, Danny." I'd met Danny's parents. They had started arguing so often that Danny sometimes had to spend the night at his friend's houses.

"Even if I still think there was something going on between you and Jeffrey, I'm going to do all I can to save your parent's relationship. I'll be there."

Tears of relief burned in my eyes. "Thanks."

I hung up the phone, blinking the tears from my eyes. I cracked my knuckles. "So, I'll start a fight with Danny, and we'll go outside. Jeffrey follow, and Jane will ask some of her friends to Antonio's. Jane will go off with her friends, dragging Batty along. Ben will use the bathroom, and you will escort him."

"Yes." Rosalind said. "And I'll have the most difficult role: making sure that Iantha looks beautiful."


	12. Kiss and Makeup

**I'm so sorry I haven't been updating consistently! To make it up to you, I uploaded two chapters at once.**

**Do I _really _need to do a disclaimer?**

Rosalind

"No."

"Come on, Iantha…"

I was in the bathroom with Iantha, holding up makeup for her to wear. Iantha turned up her nose at every one. "I don't want to seem desperate. I am not dressing up for my husband. I'm not stupid. I know that you're trying to get us to be more agreeable."

"Be subtle, then. Go for, maybe, a pair of dress pants and a nice blouse? Maybe a more natural look for the makeup…" I picked up a blush that would just barely stand out on her skin.

She glared at the blush like it had committed some awful crime against her. Anger rushed through my veins, and I snapped, "Dang it, Iantha, we've already lost one mother, do you really want us to lose another?!"

That got to her. She sighed. "Fine. Do your worst."

A smile spread across my face. "Thank you." I held up two foundations, comparing them, trying to decide which one would be best. "This one," I muttered. Then I set to work, praying that every brush stroke would go towards our plan.

Save Daddy Plan, redux, began as soon as Daddy ordered our cheese pizza. Iantha, Daddy, Ben, and Jane were on one side of the booth (Antonio's had very big booths), and Skye, Batty, Jeffery, and yours truly were stationed on the other. Iantha was sitting so far away from Daddy that she might as well have been in Jane's lap.

Skye discreetly elbowed me: Danny was casually walking by, a slightly grumpy look on his face. She said in a loud voice, "Well, look what the cat dragged in."

Danny whirled around, his face twisting from 'slightly grumpy' to 'seething with rage.' He loped to our table. "What an unpleasant surprise."

Skye rose, her face red with mock fury. Daddy hissed, "Skye, _pax."_

My prickly sister snapped, "You're looking as ugly as always. I heard your new girlfriend needed to go to the vet."

Iantha gasped. "Skye!"

I stood up. "Apologize!"

A waiter came over, a scared look on his face. I think his name was Oliver. "Uh, Danny, could you take this outside?"

Skye growled, "Certainly. I'd hate to get blood on the walls."

Jane winced. "Skye, maybe you're getting a bit riled up over this…"

Skye stomped outside, snapping rude comments at Danny as they walked out. As soon as the door slammed, Jeffrey said, "I'll go make sure they don't…" He trailed off as he stood up and jogged out.

An awkward silence draped itself over our booth. Jane straightened up. "Oh, Macy, Lois!" She hopped up and crawled out of the booth, running over to her pals. She grabbed Batty's arm and dragged her over to another booth.

I gulped. Daddy had a suspicious look on his face. Before he could say anything Ben suddenly announced, "I need to go potty!" He stood up.

I grabbed Ben's hand and said, "I'll take him." I pulled Ben towards the bathrooms, and peered around the corner.

Iantha had scooted just a little closer to Daddy. I grinned as Daddy appeared to grab her hand. He smiled at her, and she smiled back. And when they were sure that no one was looking, they exchanged a quick kiss. I high-fived Ben and carried him to the booth.

Daddy grinned at me as I sat down. "You must really think we're stupid." I winced, but Daddy's smile widened. "While Skye is a _very _good actor, Danny isn't. He smiled a bit when he said 'What an unpleasant surprise,' and that's when I was sure you little devils were setting something up. I liked the 'your new girlfriend needed to go to the vet' insult Skye chose, by the way. Very insulting."

I blushed. "I'm sorry, Daddy. I just-" A scream sounded from outside that made my blood freeze, followed by yelling, and I jumped up and ran to the door.

A very pale Skye and a frantically apologizing Danny were half-supporting, half-carrying Jeffrey into the building, eye swollen, blood on his face.

**Please, please, please, do not hate Danny. **

**By the way, if you review, you'll become as awesome as I am! *wink wink nudge nudge***


	13. Blue Skye, Blue Eyes

**I can't remember what color Jeffrey's eyes are…can anyone help me out? I assumed green, but it's been a while since I read the first book, and I don't have a copy at home.**

Jeffrey

"Oh, Jeffrey, you idiot." I moaned. Jeffrey was lying on the couch in the house, an ice pack on his face. I was leaning on the arm of the couch, glaring at him. I was trying to ignore the way his eyes turned pale green when they looked away from me, and how his hair curled just so...Yeah, fine, I'm an idiot.

"Hey, he was being rude." Jeffrey groaned, adjusting his position. "I'm not going to let him act like _you_ were in the wrong."

"But did you _have_ to punch him?" I demanded. "I'm perfectly capable of defending myself, Sir Dumb-a-Lot."

Jeffrey huffed. "A black eye and a bloody nose are quite worth defending your honor, Princess Skye." He gave a mock salaam in my direction.

I shuddered. "Danny's a lot stronger than you are. He could have given you a concussion."

"I know." Then Jeffrey caught the insult. "Hey, I'm 110 pounds of pure muscle!" He flexed his skinny arms.

I laughed. "Danny seemed really sorry that he knocked you out."

Jeffrey chuckled. "Hey, fight-or-flight. He was probably scared of my amazingness."

Tears suddenly blossomed in my eyes. I realized _just how freaking scared_ I was when Jeffrey punched Danny. He put a hand on my arm. "I'm really sorry that I punched your ex. I was really angry, and he was getting-"

That's when I swooped in and kissed him so hard that my jaw hurt, and that warm sensation flooded my brain, my heart doing a tap dance. When I came up for air, Jeffrey mumbled, "Ow." His green eyes were wide, and I realized in that moment that I liked him.

I loved the way he'd talk about what he was feeling and not expect an answer. I loved how he played the piano, leaving reality. I loved how he would laugh when I said something sarcastic.

That does _not _mean that I wasn't completely ticked off by his impulsiveness. That's _my_ job.

I crossed my arms, still irate, and hissed, "Look, I appreciate the gesture, but if you do _anything_ like that again, I _swear_ I will tear you limb from limb and kick your emaciated body all the way to Barnard's Star! I will behead you with a _spoon _and feed your head to Hound!"

A smile grew on his face. "You know, kissing me doesn't seem like the best punishment for punching your ex."

The next thing I knew, Jeffrey and I were laughing our butts off on the floor, tears streaming down our faces. After a while, we were back on the couch, flipping through Jane's very flowery account on the events at Point Mouette.

"'Just before the car carried her beloved Jeffrey away to his horrible home, she tumbled into the car.'" Jeffrey switched to a very, very bad interpretation of my voice. "'Oh, hottest, manliest, cleverest Jeffrey, may our paths cross again!'"

I snatched the journal from Jeffrey's hands. "Not even Jane could write that, because she _knows_ I wouldn't say anything even _close_ to that garbage if my life depended on it, and you know it."

Jeffrey laughed. "That's not what you were thinking five minutes ago."

Heat rose in my cheeks. "Watch it, Tifton." I flipped a page, and gasped. "Whoa."

"What?" Jeffrey peered over my shoulder. A pencil portrait of me occupied the page, standing on the back porch at Birches, facing down Dexter the day he tried to take Jeffrey back to Arundel. It made me look brave and noble. Other than that, it was completely accurate in every detail. "Who…who did this?" He gasped.

I frowned, crossing my arms. "It can't be Rosalind. She wasn't in Maine. When we had a big set of crayons as a kid, Jane had the worst crayon drawings, so she's out. _I_ definitely didn't do this…"

"Don't rule out Jane. I've known kids who developed artistic skills later on in life." Jeffrey pointed out.

"No, Jane is still bad." I shook my head. "Of course, I'm worse. But that leaves…no, it can't be."

"Who?" Jeffrey asked.

I laughed a bit at the absurdity of what I was about to say. "Batty."


End file.
